CNN Audience Grows Across Platforms in April
RANKS AGAIN AS TOP 5 IN ALL OF CABLE AMONG P2+
WEEKDAY PRIME DRAWS YEAR-OVER-YEAR GROWTH IN KEY DEMO
LIVE TOWN HALLS SEE VIEWERSHIP GAINS IN TIME PERIOD ACROSS BOTH DEMOS
CNN.COM ENGAGEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION CONTINUES TO CLIMB
NEW YORK, NY – (April 29, 2025) – CNN finished April delivering a strong performance across linear, digital and streaming platforms. For the fourth consecutive month, CNN ranked in the Top 5 of the most watched networks in all of cable in Total Day among P2+ (#4) and in the top 10 among P25-54 (#8).
In primetime, CNN posted +8% year-over-year growth in M-F Prime among P25-54 (113k to 122k). Among P2+, CNN ranked in the Top 10 in M-F Prime (#7) for the fourth consecutive month. At the program level, Erin Burnett Outfront (7p), NewsNight with Abby Phillip (10p), and Laura Coates Live (11p) all posted year-over-year growth among P25-54. NewsNight with Abby Phillip continues to be a standout performer for CNN, ranking as the network’s most watched program among P25-54 for the third consecutive month. Further, NewsNightgrew by impressive, double-digit margins year-over-year among both demos (P25-54: +31%, 103k to 135k; P2+: +12% 510k to 573k).
CNN also ranked Top 5 in Daytime among both P2+ (#3) and P25-54 (#4).
CNN’s robust political coverage was complemented by two town halls in April that boosted their respective time periods among both P25-54 and P2+ (Live + Same Day). CNN’s Town Hall with Bernie Sanders (Wed, 4/9; 9p-10:01p) ranked #4 in all of cable in the time period among P2+ and was up +37% vs. the prior 4 (880k vs. 644k). Among P25-54, it ranked #6 in all of cable and was up +18% (168k vs. 142k). CNN Town Hall: America Asks Congress (Thu, 4/10; 9p-10:30p) ranked #6 in all of cable in the time period among P2+ (624k) and #9 among P25-54 (134k ).
As part of CNN’s topical entertainment programming block, Have I Got News For You (2/15 – 4/19, Sat 9p) ended its second season as the network’s second most watched show among P2+ in April and during the season’s entire run. The season averaged 103k among P25-54 with +9% growth from season 1 (95k), and it was up +25% vs. its lead-in (83k). Among P2+, it was up +66% vs. the prior 4 Saturdays (722k vs. 435k). The success of this programming block, led by Real Time with Bill Maher at 8p and HIGNFY at 9p, has made CNN a top cable destination on Saturday nights (8p-10p). Over the course of HIGNFY’s second season, CNN ranked #6 in all of cable in the time period among P2+, improving its rank by +8-pts vs. the same period a year-ago (#14). Overall, CNN has grown its P2+ viewership by +42% on Saturday nights year-over-year (770k vs. 542k).
CNN’s digital audience continued to show powerful growth amidst a larger pivot to a new subscription business. March was the highest month for minutes spent per visitor since the launch of CNN.com’s subscription business in October 2024. With a strategic focus on deepening engagement to grow digital subscribers, March saw an increase of 6% month over month versus the prior month. March domestic data is the most recent Comscore data available.
TV Source: Nielsen Panel Only. AA(000s). Based on Live+7 blended with most current, incl. OOH.
TV Town Hall Source: Nielsen Panel Only. AA(000s). Based on Live+SD, incl. OOH.
Digital Source: Comscore Media Metrix® Multi-Platform, Total Digital Population, March 2025, United States, Custom-Defined List including BBC, CNN.COM, MSN News, Yahoo News, The New York Times Brand, CBSNEWS.COM, Fox News Digital, NBCNEWS.COM, USATODAY.COM, THEGUARDIAN.COM, NYPOST.COM, WASHIGNTONPOST.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, HuffPost Global, CNBC, The Sun, INDEPENDENT.CO.UK, ABCNEWS.COM, NPR.ORG, Bloomberg.com, MEDIUM.COM, MIRROR.CO.UK, CBC, TELEGRAPH.CO.UK, Sky News, VOX.COM, SFGATE.COM, EURONEWS.COM, CHRON.COM, BUZZFEEDNEWS.COM, VICE.COM NYDAILYNEWS.COM, Aljazeera Media Network, Epoch Times.